The present invention relates to a tool for adjusting the camber of a vehicle's wheels and more particularly, a hand-held tool for simplifying the wheel camber adjustment of vehicles equipped with overhead struts.
The term camber refers to the alignment of the wheels relative to the vertical. Proper adjustment of camber is required to insure proper contact of the tire tread with the road surface. Positive camber refers to a condition in which the wheels are tilted outwardly at the tops thereof, and negative camber where the wheels are tilted inwardly. Improper camber will adversely affect the performance of a vehicle, resulting in uneven tire wear, and may be a source of a possible road hazard due to loss of traction.
In vehicles equipped with overhead struts, otherwise referred to as MacPherson struts, the wheels are maintained in the vertical position by a pair of bolts which extend through a pair of flanges affixed to a lower portion of the strut, which in turn surround a spindle attached to the wheel. When tightened, the bolts exert inward pressure upon the flanges, creating a friction union between the flanges and spindle, maintaining alignment by preventing movement of the tire.
Prior art adjustment of camber in such vehicles typically required at least two persons to perform the task. In the procedure, a level was attached to the center of the wheel being adjusted, to project horizontally outward. The level provided a means for indicating tilt of the wheel off the vertical, i.e. positive or negative camber. One person, positioned under the car would then loosen the camber bolts, while the other individual, positioned on the outwardly facing side of the wheel manually pulled the top of the tire outwardly or inwardly, until a desired camber reading was read from the level. He would then try to maintain the setting once established, while the person below the car re-tightened the bolts, to once again apply pressure on the friction surface.
Labor costs associated with the prior art procedure were increased by requiring the assistance of an extra mechanic. Furthermore, maintaining a proper camber setting by manually holding the wheel in place until the camber bolts were re-tightened was difficult and inexact.